With the number of criminal incidents reported throughout Bacolod City, residents are asking themselves (again), when will we see police officers on the road conducting patrols and making themselves visible?
Hold-ups incidents, pickpocketing, and even killings are seen as a result of the ongoing war on illegal drugs. It is said hold-up robberies are being committed by individuals who need the money to buy illegal drugs, which are now being sold at higher prices – the claim has yet to be verified by authorities.
Whatever the reason, the serious concern is why city residents are not seeing uniformed policemen patrolling night and day.
Residents have seen police officers comfortably patrolling shopping malls, but none are on the roads, the downtown area, or within the barangays.
One local, who was walking along Gonzaga Street, witnessed two police officers drinking coffee in a store where the Bascon Hotel was once located. He stuck around for about an hour as he was buying auto parts and, during the entire time, the policemen were glued to that table – were they on duty? Yes!
One resident said the men in uniform are not concerned with their duties; something this person also believes the chief of police recognizes.
Police officers must be on the roads and not sitting in their police station waiting for a crime to be committed.
Some have voiced concerns over the lack of patrol cars for the police; while others noted dimly-lit street lights, which make commuting less safe.
Local law enforcement and the city government must respond to these concerns, yet no solutions have been adapted to address them.

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This column greets Ben Lopez, Jr., Nene Rojas, Junjun Martir Hector Regalado, Mayette Yao, Roland Ramos, Cesar Agravante, and Warren Concepcion./WDJ